Cyclone Gabrielle created significant loss and damage to the Hawke’s Bay region in February 2023. Flooding resulted in significant areas of land becoming no longer safe to inhabit without the development of new stop banks and other works to protect homes and communities from future flooding.
The Government has made a short-term law change to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and associated regulations, and plans through the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act 2023 (SWERLA) to speed up flood protection works in Hawke’s Bay.
Why the Order is needed
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Recovery Agency developed the Hawke’s Bay Regional Recovery Plan, which set out the outcomes, priorities, actions and funding needed for the region’s recovery. The recovery plan identified flood protection works and mitigation, achieved through an Order in Council, as a key action for the region’s recovery.
The Order will ensure that people and communities in Hawke’s Bay can recover from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle and are protected against future events.
2025 amendment to Order
Following enactment of the 2024 Order, the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council engaged on flood mitigation options with mana whenua, marae representatives, affected whānau, property owners and people whose homes and properties were impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.
In February 2025, the Regional Council confirmed the potential suitability of an additional flood mitigation option for the North Clyde area of Wairoa. The option known as 1C+ proposed the construction of a floodway and stop banks that would be partly outside the area specified in the 2024 Order.
Because this alternate solution for Wairoa fell partially outside the area defined in the 2024 Order, an amendment to the order was requested by the Regional Council to enable full consideration of this option.
In August 2025, the map and descriptions for the location of the Wairoa flood protection works in Schedule 1 of the 2024 Order were amended. This enables the option known as 1C+ to be considered through the consenting pathway offered by the 2024 Order.